Sword and Spirit [Lykos]

[Hilana Chenzira]

73 Glade, Year 123

[Closed - Lykos]

With the Reaving Rune discovered, there was at least an opportunity and a chance for more advancement. It couldn’t hurt to see what sorts of Pact Weapons Lykos had stored away, and it gave Hilana a chance to get out her blunted practice falcata - which she had been neglecting yet again with everything else going on - and attempt some sort of sparring session against a demigod.

It definitely wouldn’t end in her favour, she knew: Lykos doubtless had the muscle memory for every single weapon he had Pacted to whoop her shapely posterior from Tertium to Solunarium Proper and back again. But Hilana wasn’t worried about it: it was better to try and reawaken what her muscles knew in a place that was safe enough for her to not be risking life and limb with unknown entities who could take advantage of how rusty she was. But beyond that, Hilana had energy to spare, and Lia was down to enjoy the show. If anything, she might well wade in with Elementalism, but beyond that? No, she was content to enjoy her tea and her embroidery.

The one good thing about the Sceptre of Avaerys was that there was still a lot of light, and even after dinner, well... there was plenty to work with. Where Hilana usually wore skirts that covered even her toes, today she had on one that had much less fabric, and was shorter to boot... though it exposed flashes of her outer thighs due to slits on either side of the garment. Neither of her snakes were on her person for this, it seemed; both Fiya and Tiaz were in her rucksack at the table where Lia was looking forward to watching. Tiaz would be fine as he was; Fiya was wrapped in her bag to keep the smaller python from wandering off to explore. Her long black curls were bound in a loose braid that reached past her hips, and she removed the practice sword from the sheath.

They had gotten use of one of the practice areas of the Citadel for this attempt, She put a bit of distance on the sand between her and the table where Lia was watching, her embroidery hoop in her hands and a box of coloured thread on the table beside her, beginning to stitch the drawn pattern from the shade. “Ready when you are, Lykos,” she grinned at him. This would be fun or it would be disastrous, one of the two, but in any event... she was looking forward to seeing what he could do.

[Rickter]

Sword and Spirit
Glade 73rd, 123rd Year, A.o.S.

It had been one of the fewer ideas that Lykos seemed 'thrilled' about to say the least, if only because he knew how much of a stranger he felt with his magic. With the Rune of Reaving though it wasn't like he would unintentionally over-exert a spell, since the weaponry only needed a fraction of his aether to materialize. Truth be told it had been the more puzzling of all his magics, if only because he hadn't the slightest idea what all he could do with it. Their trial and error the other day bore fruit when he'd managed to materialize one of his Pact weapons.

But that in itself was only when he thought of what he might've used in defense of his packmates. And while he could've very easily materialized the very same shield he did the other day, it wouldn't be much of a learning experience for both of them, not if Lykos didn't try to see what other weapons remained in his arsenal. Since they had free reign to use the training grounds the Citadel had, the wolf needn't worry about doing any major damage to the terrain either. Not if he was just testing his limitations with Reaving today.

"Just a second." Lykos did muse to Lana as he stood opposite of her position, admittedly chuckling at her enthusiasm before averting his gaze. She would only serve as a distraction to him what with how she looked right now, the skirt and shirt both accentuating the younger woman from where he stood. Not that he needed concentration just to materialize a weapon, but Lykos did not wish to be caught staring at her for too long either. Where she'd worn lighter and easier clothing to allow for movement, he, in turn, had only worn his cotton trousers and woven sandals, since he did not need any real physical protection against her.

Worst case scenario, if she were going to press him he could just negate some of the physical damage off of him. A simple ward throughout his aura, as he'd realized when tampering with it the other day, could achieve such a thing and reduce some of the pain of impact. With a focus on his hands though he breathed in deeply, remembering the mantra he felt when he first attempted the process. There was a method to it that resonated within him deeply at the time, and when he recalled those feelings he felt aether flow through him in response.

Thinking of the classic combination of a sword and shield, the wolf felt the aether flourish as the two Pacts responded to his will. With a flash of cerulean light from his left forearm and right hand, he felt the weight of each arm increase based on the weaponry he held. On the left, he gripped the round steel-based shield with no impressionable coating or pattern to the design, and in his right hand, the hilt of a standard steel-based broadsword nearly hummed with remembrance. It had been a while since these hands had gripped a weapon, evidently, but even so, those weapons still felt eager to answer the call to serve him in battle.

"Alright," he exhaled with a bit of relief, "come at me whenever you feel ready to." When Lykos looked at Lana he grinned only slightly, still a little unsure of the idea but determined to carry through with it anyway. He wanted to do this for Lana after all, and if it turned out this helped him in turn, all the more beneficial for them to better their understanding of abilities and technique.

[Hilana Chenzira]

"Big feet, big shields, bigger... swords," Hilana teased, her eyes dancing. Her falcata was blunted, meant for training only, and she knew a bit about what Reaving could do. Not just from her sparring match with Æros, but from the times she had spent with the Vastian Guard, treating injuries and assisting the new initiates before and after they had received their Rune.

But when he motioned her forward, Lia lowered her embroidery hoop to interject. "Lykos, could you please put a ward on the blade? Hilana is very good at many things, but I don't think swordsmanship is one of them," she smiled at the demigod. "She'll need her limbs and everything else in working condition when she goes West to investigate what is going on there." Her tone was warm, but she had little faith in Hilana's ability to do much against a presumably well-trained warrior. Whereas Lykos... well. One wrong move and Hilana misstepped somewhere...well. "Gratias." Her needle came back up, starting her craft once more with the purple thread.

Once they were ready, Hilana began to close the gap. Her falcata was a good fit for her, even with her long limbs, and while she had gotten some practice with it... it felt like it had been a lifetime ago. She had had a whirlwind schedule before the Derby, and even after it, there was no end to calls and demands on her time. There were lessons everywhere, and it was all that she could do to attend to each and every one of them. She was a novice again, as waking up those old skills and muscles was taking some time, and a lot of training to rediscover.

Her blade touched against the demigod's much larger weapon, crossing the swords before she darted quickly, lunging with the speed of a viper to try to get past his shield. Her movements may have been quick, but she lacked the handling to really finesse such a movement, and with what muscle memory he had, and experience that had been buried... he might well be able to predict her movements as they came.

[Rickter]

The lupine demigod's ears picked up on the playful tone in her voice, admittedly, garnering a playful look about him when he slightly grinned in response. He had posed his blade downward but with the addition of Athalia weighing in, Lykos loosened his poise before glancing down at the sword in his hand. He hadn't thought of that though he probably should've, even if the wolf wasn't intent on ever attacking her with the weapon. Regardless, it was an easy thing to account for, as Lykos brought the blade up to reside before his forehead.

With a soft whisper and a faint glimmer from his left shoulder, the glow of the northern lights coated his longsword, before the edges of the blade were tinged with a layer with aether. He needn't spend a lot of thought on the ward instilled, as it rather dulled the blade to prevent cuts ever forming on Lana's skin. Somehow it felt like an easy and natural thing to do, given he wanted to guarantee her safety as much as Athalia did. With the ward instilled and his weapon ready, Lykos readied for her first advance, taken only slightly aback when she raced straight for his sword arm.

She was quick to try a flank which was incredible, but, what Lykos did not wish to dictate his responses immediately took over. His longsword arm twisted into a parry with the weapon, the sheer moment of contact triggering a response he felt as the blade quivered in his grip. For a moment he felt her intent to dart away, and when it gave him that second to process, Lykos had already braced his shield for the next attack. Another tingling sensation that beckoned his body to just react. Interesting. He remarked as he grew more focused on her movements, his sense of smell soon hyper-fixated on Lana when she'd make her next move.

Clearly you have a tactful mind for strategy, as you know to avoid a decent guard. He minded as he felt his dominant wrist jitter with intent from his blade's grip. The only thing you need to work on is form, and even with a bit of magic, you'll be a force of nature. He admired her with a patient grin before he blinked at her next move, the draw of his breath filled with excitement as he sensed more to her movements than before. Now within that next blink, he sensed the shift of aether in her astral form, and positioned his right shoulder away from the shield.

My apologies, Lana, but if you want growth from this... He mused with a challenging grin once the woman drew near. Then I'll have to make sure you learn something from it. Bearing that in mind he flourished his blade, the twerk within his wrist flexed to allow the longsword to spiral into a parry, redirecting her blow entirely as he shrugged her away before he poised the shield once more.

"Shall I give my assessment now, or is there more you've yet to show me?" He teased with a hearty chuckle, still giving Hilana a playful look as he yet again felt the need to flick the blade's hilt between his fingers. Admittedly, the longer he held onto these weapons of his, the more familiar he felt with their reactions in turn. What's more, Lykos grasped more about his powers in just the first few minutes of this spar, and the very fact of that had intrigued him immensely as he waited to observe her next move.

[Hilana Chenzira]

Hilana knew better than to jump at one of her opponents head on. That was rarely ever smart, and it was foolish. She wasn't a frog, after all. But she knew she was faster than most people, and she had the endurance and stamina to keep going long after most would quit. But that was assuming she didn't get run through or sustain severe injuries brought on by her lack of experience and training. While Asher, Vorenus, and the others had done their best to teach her, that had been years ago. By and large the Vastiana was kept well out of that, if a problem came to it, she was in the middle with the animals and the goods that they were transporting. But the fact of the matter was, this was a sparring session and someone had to start it, and if he was going to patiently wait her out until she did something, considering he was armed and armoured for far-heavier combat than she, well, she would be remiss to miss the opportunity to try him out.

All she could do was practice. Learn, get better, do better. It was necessary, and even Lia knew it, which was why she wasn't objecting to this exercise and training. While she would have preferred her sister to stick to Elementalism, the events that had brought them together had shown her that that was possibly a dire mistake. It was better that Hilana had other means to protect herself rather than relying on magic, even in a kingdom that integrated magic into every aspect of life. She may never face an opponent like that again, but if she did, she would be prepared for them.

And sure enough, it took next to nothing for Lykos to turn her away. Hilana was interested in testing his reflexes and his muscle memory, to try and see what she might be able to get away with, what defenses she might be able to poke past or slip past... but she wasn't banking on any of them. With his easy parry, Hilana backed up, keeping her blade and stance loose, just like she had before. But when he spoke, she grinned at him, and this time, she tried for his sword side, knowing her shorter blade against his longer would might allow her a bit of an advantage if she could get too close, and stay too close, for him. Of course, he was bigger and stronger than she was, but the Vastiana would just have to make due. Her blunted falcata was aimed for his bicep. That one was one advantage that she had over most, and that was her knowledge of anatomy.

"Tell me," she agreed. She had a feeling it wouldn't be complimentary, but then again, she wasn't expecting it to be.

[Rickter]

There was an interesting play in dynamics that registered in Lykos' mind, while he paid attention to both himself and the moving woman that tested his defenses. She's altering her strategy to remain adaptable to her opponent. He firstly noted as he shifted in reaction to her approach to his right. Rather than challenge the might of his shield she favored the approach of his sword, a risky gambit but then fortune would always favor the bold. Lykos felt the jitter through his wrist from the grip of the blade's hilt, and with another blink of his eyes there lingered a very brief trace of the Aether flow.

The singular glimpse of that moment spurred him to react, as his hand twisted in response to the reflex which surged through his arm. His shoulder, his bicep, and even his forearm performed an all too comfortable parry, all in a natural motion that only deflected Hilana's blade. This has been a grand learning experience, but I think it's time for her to kick it up another notch. He humored himself before she agreed to hear his thoughts, his mind already spent on the wisdom he could impart to her.

"Speaking from experience, I've seen what amazing potential you have as a mage. Even if what little I've seen are considerably mere parlor tricks, your talent and craft are not lost on me Hilana Chenzira." He commended with a near-playful tone to his banter, already on the move to deflect another blow from her once she tested him again. This time though, he did not parry her as he would before, instead the lupine demigod challenged her blade with his head on. Immediately the clash of steel rang before a few soft sparks continued to drizzle from where the blade made contact, the surface of the barrier on his blade softly hissing as it collected the energy from the clash.

"That said, you're not exercising that talent to its full potential, not yet." He also guarded as he developed a more stout tone to match his serious expression. Lykos felt a rippling of energy aching to rebound, even if meagerly, to the force that had created it. The demigod questioned if that were just the mere nature of his wards and barriers in general, but still kept the energy contained before he generated a Seeming current before his foot. Whether Lana was reflexive enough to react before he attempted this, he intended to at least use that current to gently nudge her away the moment their blades no longer made contact.

"In battle, you'll have to remember to deal with your opponent carefully, both with and without magic at times." Whether she would've fallen victim to his light deviation spell, Lykos would straighten his stance once more with the flick of his blade away from his waist. The longsword's blade gave off a shimmer of light before the layered ward over it dimmed once more, as the action with the sword released the small stored energy it contained with a low-sounding pop. "But always remember, you can combine the two even in close-quarters combat." The wolf then turned his left shoulder to his back, causing the shield to be his rear guard while he held the sword in a downward arc toward Lana.

"You've a knack with the elements, a mastery I know is there within you. So utilize it even in the subtlest of ways. Let the wind carry you for more speed, or enhance your strikes to really test my defenses." He urged with a challenging grin spared to her, the blade then fixed to point upward within his grip as he started to bend his knees a little more. "Get creative. And come at me with whatever you come up with. Not only can I handle it, but I want to see the extent of your talents." He had hoped that by expressing for her to do this, Lana would not only see that he was encouraging her, but also prompting her to expand on her natural physique as it were.

As light and nimble as she could be, Lykos knew she could be as swift as the wind if she applied herself to it. Or as mighty and resilient as the earth too, given the possibilities were endless no matter the approach. With that in mind, he felt Reaving Rune on his neck tingling, along with the amusing ponderance as to how he perceived all this. Being able to observe and react to his opponent was one thing, but also coming up with a brief evaluation of one's skill potential after a few rounds of exchanged blows? Clearly, his mind was as keen as his body when it came to the muscle memory thing.

[Hilana Chenzira]

When he shrugged her off again like one of the wolves might shake off a fly, Hilana re-evaluated her options and listened to his words. Her ears pricked at the sound his blade made when it connected with hers, and she could only wonder what exactly it was doing. She couldn't expect him to know when he had only just summoned it, and she wasn't about to activate Semblance in order to study it, not right this very instant. The Vastiana could multitask like nobody's business; but when she was learning, she wanted to focus on it. He had a lot of very useful information from these attempts that she had taken towards him, and she was clearly digesting it.

What he said made a lot of sense. She had a strong bond with the elements; it was perfectly acceptable, and wise, even, to be able to combine the two. Hilana had accidentally pulled on the elements before when she had sparred with Æros before he had died, and since then, she had tried to keep them separate for now, wanting to make sure, especially after what happened weeks ago, that if she was ever without her Elementalism again, that she would be able to do something with a weapon. And now Lykos was encouraging her to blend the two and try and push him with it. She wasn't uncertain; she knew full well that even with that, it was going to be an uphill battle. Even someone as relentlessly positive and optimistic as Hilana knew that. He outclassed her in just about every way that mattered right here, right now, but she couldn't allow herself to start thinking that way.

Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you are right, she reminded herself, as she nodded to Lykos. Well, if he wanted to see what all she could do, very well. She had a feeling his equipment was warded inherently, or whatever it was made of was meant to guard against arcane tricks. But one of her teachers had encouraged her before to get creative, and he still tested her regularly even if she had met the requirements to be deemed a Master... even without her Arche element. She attuned herself, she adjusted and meditated with the elements and the spirits as she needed to, and she could manage just fine as a generalist until she had mastered all of them. "Well, let's give that a go, then," she smiled up at him, bouncing on her toes.

Some part of her understood, too, that it was only going to be by combining her Elementalism with what physical abilities she had to give Lykos something to do besides stand there and bounce her off of him like the date that had hit the wall. He was also a master Elementalist, not to mention the demigod of Winter, and water was, without question, his element. So she was going to have to get creative. Lia kept an eye on them from the shade from where she was sitting with her embroidery, deft stitches working the thread as if it was a part of her. She gave Hilana a single, encouraging nod. The girl backed up a few steps, giving up the benefit of her shorter blade and giving that advantage to his longer one, before she darted forward. The wind sang at her pleas, and as Lykos had predicted - she was naturally fast, and with the wind, her movements were enhanced as she sought to speed things up... while trying to slow him down.

She focused on his sandals, and she sought to Enmesh them with a boulder's weight. Hilana was clearly looking to trap him in place and make it difficult for him to turn or move from where he was standing. There had to be a sweet spot where that shield would have a harder time reaching, and he might not be able to twist the sword back fast enough or at that angle, considering the strain on the muscle... She didn't know how flexible the Rathari was for an attack from behind, but she figured that she was about to find out.

[Rickter]

The wolf remained posed ready for her as he gauged what her next immediate action would be, after all, he had provided enough insight for her to consider a complete paradigm shift in her tactics. What she would do next was something he needed to be ready for, not in spite of defense or concern but more for further critique and improvement. Make no mistake Lykos wanted his packmates to grow stronger, both physically and spiritually when it came to moments of combat. Somehow a part of him knew that no matter how much he desired it, the Lupine Draegir would not always be there to keep the younger sister safe. Nor could he always protect her either.

"Well, let's give that a go, then," she posited after a brief respite to attune herself. The wolf's brow furrowed yet the sternness in his lips immediately lifted, a rather warm and excited grin pulled at the corners as he gave his knees a slightly angled bend. He could already tell the younger sister would be a wily one, fast and agile with the blade she held as potent as a stinger. Sweet as she was Lykos could tell Hilana carried herself in the way a viper would hunting prey, and given her incredible knowledge of poisons, it wasn't difficult to consider the possibility that maybe she was such a creature in spirit.

But to see her spring into action when he felt the sand beneath him shudder, a sure tell sign of something at play the moment she finally lunged toward him. The very air around her whipped only slightly but with the gusto of a gale, foreshadowing the might of her speed when she near instantly closed the gap between them. He went to shift but suddenly found his heels unmoving, as though the very sands had clumped to grip the top of his feet. Clever girl! Lykos immediately acknowledged when he quickly averted his gaze back to Hilana, his sword arm swung over to clash against the jabbing strike the younger sibling made.

He flexed his posture to exert a slight pulse of telekinetics to Push the weight off his soles, and yet the reaction did nothing to shake the weight off in response. Even with the minute application of his Kinetics rune being used, the breezes that carried Hilana would feel such subtle vibrations. "Excellent," he encouraged with another moment to consider her next strike, his shield arm brought over to redirect the next pointed strike of her blade. "Entrapment is a great way to get the angle on your opponents, but never count on it to hold even the brutish of beasts down." Something about this made the weight in his heart soar suddenly, as if he felt a sudden thrill from the moment he'd became challenged by this weight.

With a gentle flex of his aura though his skin briefly flickered with the shimmer of an aurora, before his feet immediately became released from where he'd been clenched down. As heavy of a fighter as he was already, the extra weight would've only held him further in place, reducing his mobility to a point where she could've easily circumvented his guard. The younger sister would've actually done so had he not bought that second to recover, and yet even so, Lykos knew the woman had only just started to warm up. The angle he held his blade at allowed him to swing into a parry that would likely throw Hilana off her balance, if she came at him with another full force as she had attempted moments ago.

"Now," he urged the young viper, "show me what else you got!" Though he wouldn't really admit it outright, Lykos found himself having fun playing with this one.

[Hilana Chenzira]

Hilana had known that the sand wouldn't hold him so easily, not with all of the strengths he had. But it was something that helped, however briefly, along with the weight of his feet. He was an Elementalist and a Kineticist to boot; and he was a well-trained warrior that had all the muscle memory one could hope for. He may not have the memories of how all of that came to be, but the body didn't forget. The Vastiana knew that well. Someone like Lykos had practiced endlessly in his past to get to where he was, and the memory would not let it go.

She considered her options as he rebuffed her again, sending her skipping back on the sand. She didn't stumble that time, not with the wind at her back and the sands beneath her feet. Hilana was a desert girl, born and bred, and the sands and earth always had their songs. She had considered Arching it, considering the games she had played with an element that was so solid, stolid, and taciturn... but she had chosen the role of a generalist for the time being, until she had attuned to all of them. But she had one that might well help in this matter...

She knew from watching Prince Phocion that Kinetics could rebuff just about everything. And doubtless, Lykos could pull the same. Reaving would surely aid him. His own abilities with his blade and shield were enough to block her, even with one hand tied behind his back and blindfolded. With no hands, his pact weapons would, too. But as she circled, Hilana had half an idea. The Vastiana churned the sand with her free fingers. She only had one shot at this, because she would otherwise lose her advantage of surprise. Her brown eyes were bright, her gaze intent, focus on her face. Ah, the lass might not be playing this time. The viper was thinking.

As Athalia looked on, the sands whipped and moved, swirling around the two combatants as the air picked up the sand. Hilana lunged again and again, testing Lykos' guard at the different angles as the wind and sand went everywhere. From all directions, the Vastiana flung them at him, shaping the sand into jagged daggers. And what was concealed within that buffet of sand and stone daggers was the shadows. Silent, scentless, ethereal. Without a physical shape, until they materialized into one, grasping and grabbing at his legs, looking to pull him back and set the warrior off balance.

That was when Hilana made her move, seeking that same side that had worked well for her before, trying to get past that great big sword of his with her falcata, trying to slip under his guard to score a hit against his gear. Nothing that would penetrate, obviously, not with the blunted training sword, but it might just work.